CineKink Announces Award Winners at Kinky Film Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CineKink Announces Award Winners at Kinky Film Festival
Encores stream on-demand throughout the week
NEW YORK, NY; May 10. 2022 – Rounding out multiple days of screenings in a virtual edition of the long-running event, organizers for CineKink 2022 announced festival awards in a celebration on Sunday, May 8. Festival selections will continue to stream on-demand throughout the week via CineKink’s streaming partner PinkLabel.tv. (http://cinekink.pinklabel.tv)
“I was pleasantly astounded at the quality of works that came in for this year’s festival,” said Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director. “It seems that filmmakers really stepped up their game during the pandemic, and it certainly showed in our line-up. Congratulations and thanks are in order, not just to our award-winning filmmakers, but to all of them!”
The festival’s CineKink Artist Spotlight award, designed to recognize outstanding artistry over a body of work, was given to Charles Lum and Todd Verow. Their collaborative films, including this season’s Death Race, Lum’s video diary recounting the last year of his life, and My Almost First Time, have been featured at CineKink since the very start.
Audience Choice Awards for CineKink 2022 were presented to Raw! Uncut! Video! (directors Ryan White and Alex Clausen) for Best Documentary Feature, with Vivante (director Anoushka) winning for Best Narrative Feature.
The annual CineKink “Bring It!” award, determined by audience vote during a showcase of current adult cinema, went to Air, directed by Urvashi, a previous four-time winner of the award.
In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to Blind Spots (Luis Schubert) tied with Sexual Distancing (Dimitris Asproloupus) for Best Dramatic Short, Butch Please (Peter Fitzgerald) tied with Stephen & James: Best Girlfriends for Best Documentary Short, Red (Katia Koziara) for Best Comedy Short, Hold (Marit Östberg) for Best Experimental Short, and The Receiver (Salty Cheri) for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short.
Honorable Best Mention awards were presented to Leatherboy (Jack McGreal), Sovereign Sex (Dom Razberry and Daemon Derriere), and Virtual Love (Aria Li).
Determining the shorts awards, CineKink jurors this year included Thor Stockman, creator of The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous: S/M at The Movies, Viviane Tang, co-founder of The Pleasure Salon, and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.
A CineKink Select Award, determined by the festival director, was presented to the short film Sweat of His Cow (John Wildman and Alan Smithee).
Along with PinkLabel.TV, sponsors and partners of CineKink NYC/2022 included njoy, along with Athena Productions, Film Festival Secrets and Robel Films.
Selections from CineKink 2022 will be featured in a traveling version of the festival, slated to appear in various cities throughout the next year. Dates for the next edition of the festival, CineKink’s 20th anniversary season, have not yet been determined.
An encore pass to take in the remaining week of festival works is available at a discounted rate of $20 via Bold Type Tickets.
https://btt.boldtypetickets.com/events/120016455/cine-kink-2022-virtual-edition?ref=pr
For more information, visit the CineKink website. http://cinekink.com
All encores will stream on demand at the CineKink portal on PinkLabel.tv
http://cinekink.pinklabel.tv
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See below for detailed awards information.
FOR A LINK TO THIS PRESS RELEASE W/FULL PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS & LINKS:
DIRECT LINK TO EVENT ON CINEKINK WEBSITE:
CINEKINK STREAMING PORTAL ON PINKLABEL.TV:
https://cinekink.pinklabel.tv
PHOTOS + GRAPHICS
CONTACT: Lisa Vandever
PHONE: 917-609-5928
EMAIL: press2022 * at * cinekink.com
WEBSITE: http://www.cinekink.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cinekink
ABOUT CINEKINK NYC
Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” CineKink returned virtually for its 18th edition May 4-8, 2022, with a week of encores following. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of kink-positive depictions in film and television, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to artsy experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between. For more information, visit http://cinekink.com
ABOUT PINKLABEL.TV
Created and curated by Pink & White Productions’ Director Shine Louise Houston, PinkLabel.TV provides a streaming platform for independent adult filmmakers, with additional resources aimed to further their craft and help films find a global audience.
More info: https://pinklabel.tv
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CineKink 2022 – Detailed Award Information
CineKink 2022 Spotlight Artists: Charles Lum and Todd Verow
A tribute to their longtime friendship and artistic partnership, the CineKink 2022 Spotlight Artists goes to Charles Lum and Todd Verow, each a prolific artist and activist in his own right, who have collaborated on an extensive body of work, much of which has screened at CineKink during past festivals.
CINEKINK CHOICE – AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS
CineKink Choice awards, which go to feature-length works in competition during the festival, were determined by audience balloting at the close of each eligible work’s screening. The 2022 award winners are.
CineKink Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature
Raw! Uncut! Video!
A love story about fetish porn, this documentary chronicles the rise and fall of homegrown gay porn studio, Palm Drive Video, and explores how a devoted couple helped battle a devastating health crisis by promoting kinky sex. (Directed by Ryan White and Alex Clausen, 2020, USA, 79 minutes. Features Jack Fritscher, Mark Hemry, Susie Bright, Donnie Russo, Mickey Squires, Durk Dehner, mr. Pam and Rick Castro.)
CineKink Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature
Vivante
Following a break-up, Lou rents out a room in her apartment to Charlotte, a photographer in search of a new place to live. Initially Lou is perturbed by Charlotte’s casual sexuality, as much as she is drawn in by her beauty and charisma. Just as the two women come together in a relationship, and Lou begins exploring new sensations and experiences, a tragic accident strikes. In the months that follow, it falls to Charlotte, along with the help of a sexual surrogate, Emma, to remind Lou that her body is not all just suffering but also gives pleasure. (Directed by Anoushka, 2020, France, 91 minutes. Stars Romy Furie, Bertoulle Beaurebec, Yumie Volupte and Bishop Black.)
CINEKINK BEST – JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORTS
CineKink Best awards, which go to short works in competition during the festival, were determined by jury ranking, with additional deliberation by the festival director. The 2022 award winners are:
CineKink Best Dramatic Short – (tie)
Blind Spots
The shooting of a sex scene triggers a conflict between an intimacy coordinator and the director on a film set. (Directed by Luis Schubert, 2021, Germany, 9 minutes. Stars Julia Effertz, Leon Ullrich, Sarina Radomski, Lia von Blarer and Etienne Bissuel.)
Sexual Distancing
Two guys, one deadly virus, a city in quarantine, and a lot of sexual desperation. (Directed by Dimitris Asproloupos, 2021, Greece, 17 minutes. Stars Jeo Pakitsas and Thodoris Vrachas.)
CineKink Best Comedy Short
Red
A first date gets steamy as desire, consent and power dynamics are discussed in the most unlikely of places. (Directed by Katia Koziara, 2020, USA, 8 minutes. Stars Phoebe Dunn, Ben Brown and Kerry Warren.)
CineKink Best Documentary Short – tie
Butch Please
An exploration of gay masculinity at the 2019 International Mr. Leather convention. (Directed by Peter Fitzgerald, 2021, USA, 23 minutes. Features interviews with Jack Thompson, Master Thay z and Q. Darkqwolf.)
Stephen & James: Best Girlfriends
A love-letter to a New York City in the not-too-distant past where the only apps were served before dinner and the thrill of gay sex was always just around the corner (or on a pier or in a back room or even Hoboken, New Jersey. (Directed by Dave Quantic, 2021, USA, 5 minutes.)
CineKink Best Experimental Short
Hold
A film about the dynamics of intimacy in BDSM. About being together in our longings, our pain and the total stillness. (Directed by Marit Östberg, 2021, Germany, 14 minutes. Stars Caritia, Ambrita, Sunshine and Sadie Lune.)
CineKink Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short
The Receiver
With Covid times pushing us to redefine relationships and desires, Salty Cheri and Manon Praline decided to play consciously with the power dynamics between filmmaker and performer. Salty set up three blind dates for Manon who, being uninformed about her partners or what would happen, had to let go of all expectations. (Directed by Salty Cheri, 2021, Germany, 23 minutes. Stars Manon Praline, Ron Hades, Bishop Black, Jamal Phoenix and Lola Tormento.)
CineKink Honorable Best Mentions
Leatherboy
A young man in the rural midwest tries to deny a budding interest in leather. (Directed by Jack McGreal, 2021, USA, 8 minutes. Stars Dan Szafoni, Delmar Fears and Louis Weisberg.)
Sovereign Sex
This docu-porn follows the experience of Raz, age 30, as they explore their sexuality for the first time. A decade ago, Raz’s virginity was taken by rape; now they are choosing to have their first sovereign sexual experience by pegging their close friend Daemon, on camera. (Directed/produced by and stars Dom Razberry and Daemon Derriere, 2021, USA, 14 minutes.)
Virtual Love
As a camgirl couple’s channel rises to the top, their relationship falls to rock bottom. (Directed by Aria Li, 2021, USA, 7 minutes.)
CINEKINK SELECT – FESTIVAL DIRECTOR AWARD
Sweat of His Cow
From the depths of someone’s lost VHS tapes comes this story of an impossibly gorgeous doctor lawyer who runs out of gas next to a barn where an impossibly sweaty man is milking a cow. (Directed by John Stuart Wildman and Alan Smithee, 2021, USA, 6 minutes. Stars John Stuart Wildman, Celina Rae and Chris Gardner.)
“BRING IT!” – ADULT INDUSTRY SHOWCASE AWARD
The CineKink “Bring It!” award is determined by audience ballot during a presentation of short works and excerpts showcasing adult cinema.
Air
Two trapeze performers meet and find an attraction together that flies high. Really high! (Directed by Urvashi, 2020, USA, 14 minutes. Stars Chris and Melina.)